USA Network sets launch date for new original series Common Law + Returns of White Collar and Royal Pains

USA Network today announces the January premiere dates for the new original series COMMON LAW on Thursday, January 26 at 10/9c and returning original favorites WHITE COLLAR on Tuesday, January 17 at 10/9c and ROYAL PAINS on Wednesday, January 18 at 10/9c.

The complete press release is included after the jump.

USA NETWORK SETS LAUNCH DATE FOR NEW ORIGINAL SERIES “COMMON LAW” THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 AT 10/9C ALONG WITH RETURNS OF “WHITE COLLAR” AND “ROYAL PAINS”

WHITE COLLAR Returns Tuesday, January 17 at 10/9c ROYAL PAINS Returns on Wednesday, January 18 at 10/9C

NEW YORK – November 29, 2011 – USA Network today announces the January premiere dates for the new original series COMMON LAW on Thursday, January 26 at 10/9c and returning original favorites WHITE COLLAR on Tuesday, January 17 at 10/9c and ROYAL PAINS on Wednesday, January 18 at 10/9c.

The new original series COMMON LAW kicks into high gear when two cops discover they have one problem – each other. Despite their differences, they are still the best detectives on the force but when things come to a head on the eve of their “seven-year itch,” their captain forces them into couples’ therapy to save their “marriage.” The 12-episode one-hour series stars Michael Ealy (“The Good Wife,” “Californication”), Warren Kole (“The Chicago Code,” “24”), Jack McGee (“The Fighter,” “Rescue Me”) and Sonya Walger (“Lost,” “In Treatment”) and is currently in production in New Orleans.

Travis Marks (Michael Ealy) and Wes Mitchell (Warren Kole) are a pair of odd couple detectives who are incredible at what they love most – enforcing the law. The duo has a seven-year track record as the LAPD’s finest in the Robbery-Homicide Division. As their constant bickering begins to have a major impact on their work, their new-age captain (Jack McGee) sends them to couples’ therapy to bring back the flame in their “work marriage.” Tough-as-nails therapist Dr. Ryan (Sonya Walger) is brought in to help them understand and resolve their conflicts and confront their demons in order to enhance their ability to work together solving crimes.

As Dr. Ryan explores their relationship, we find out these two are birds of a feather professionally, and their personal differences actually balance them out. Wes is a former lawyer whose sensitivity to an event in his life sparked his desire to become a cop but sacrificed his marriage in the process. He sees things in black and white, is responsible, compulsively organized, methodical and often over thinks decisions. Travis is a former juvenile delinquent and a maverick ladies man who has a fear of abandonment, commitment and intimacy. While he’s an open book and deeply trusts his gut instincts, he’s carefree, irresponsible, disorganized and doesn’t play by the rules. We soon learn that a successful relationship or partnership doesn’t mean you have to like the same things; you just have to hate the same things and sometimes that makes for a stronger union.

COMMON LAW is from CBS Television Studios and Junction Entertainment, and is executive produced and written by Cormac Wibberley and Marianne Wibberley (“National Treasure,” “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle”). Jon Turteltaub (“Jericho,” “National Treasure”) and Craig Sweeny (“Medium,” “The 4400”) are executive producers. Dan Shotz and Karim Zreik (“Harper’s Island,” “Jericho”) of Junction Entertainment serve as co-executive producers. The pilot was directed by Turteltaub.

Season three of WHITE COLLAR returns from its summer cliffhanger for its winter premiere of six edge-of-your seat episodes starring Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Tiffani Thiessen, Willie Garson, Marsha Thomason, Hilarie Burton and Sharif Atkins. In the shocking summer finale, Peter Burke’s (DeKay) world crumbled to pieces when he found out Neal (Bomer) was in possession of the stolen Nazi treasure and his wife Elizabeth (Thiessen) was kidnapped because of it. Now with an uncertain future and both his personal and professional life at stake, what will Peter do? What has happened to Elizabeth? And will Neal choose a side? The upcoming second half of the third season features the directorial debut of series star DeKay and appearances by guest stars including Joe Manganiello, Dylan Baker, Beau Bridges, Tom Skerritt, Hal Ozsan, Ross McCall, Diahann Carroll, Elizabeth Gillies, Graham Phillips, Lola Glaudini, Will Chase, Murphy Guyer, Tom Degnan, Bailey Chase and Debra Monk.

In WHITE COLLAR’s third season, charming con man Neal Caffrey uses his talents to keep everyone guessing as to which side he’s really on. When love interest and insurance investigator Sara Ellis (Burton) finds out Neal and Mozzie (Garson) have the stolen treasure, she walks away and Neal is forced to figure out if his relationships are more important than the life of a criminal. WHITE COLLAR was created by and is executive produced by Jeff Eastin and comes from Fox Television Studios. Mark Goffman is an executive producer and Jeff King is a co-executive producer. The series, which averaged 5.7 million total viewers this summer, has already been green lit for a fourth season to start production in New York in early 2012.

The network’s highest rated series ROYAL PAINS, starring Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo and Reshma Shetty, returns with six new episodes with a season finale that will have viewers and fans on the edge of their seats. In the summer cliffhanger, Hank attended to an unconscious Eric Kassabian (guest star Wilmer Valderrama) who appeared to have been given the wrong medicine by Dr. Van Dyke (guest star Kyle Howard) and Divya (Shetty). When the series picks up, HankMed is in danger of losing his first patient as Kassabian’s life hangs in the balance. Things in the Hamptons get even more tense as Divya juggles two jobs; Evan (Costanzo) works to fit into his fiancée’s complicated family life and Jill (Flint) continues to hide Divya’s work secret. Golden Globe nominee Tom Cavanagh returns with an award-worthy performance in a multi-episode story arc as Jack O’Malley, professional golfer and HankMed client. Recurring on the series are Campbell Scott as Boris, and Brooke D’Orsay as Paige, Kyle Howard as Dr. Van Dyke and Joanna Garcia Swisher as Dr. Nina Greene.

ROYAL PAINS averaged more than 7 million viewers this summer and has been renewed for a fourth season, to begin production in the spring. The series is executive produced by Andrew Lenchewski and Michael Rauch, as well as Rich Frank, Paul Frank and Jeff Kwatinetz from Prospect Park. The series is is produced by Universal Cable Productions and is filmed entirely in New York, including Brooklyn, Long Island, as well as in and around the Hamptons.

USA, poised to win its sixth consecutive year as the #1 cable network, is currently the home to ten original scripted series: BURN NOTICE, COMMON LAW, COVERT AFFAIRS, FAIRLY LEGAL, IN PLAIN SIGHT, NECESSARY ROUGHNESS, PSYCH, ROYAL PAINS, SUITS and WHITE COLLAR and recently announced three pilot pickups. THE UNTITLED DOUGLAS MCGRATH PROJECT, a half-hour comedy pilot from Universal Cable Productions, will star Nathan Lane, Cheyenne Jackson, Ken Jenkins, Caroline Rhea, Laura Bell Bundy and Richard Kohnke. Douglas McGrath will write, direct and executive produce the pilot and Lane will also executive produce. PAGING DR. FREED is a half-hour comedy pilot from Fox 21 and Universal Cable Productions. Michael Feldman will write and executive produce with Katy McCaffrey and Brad Johnson serving as producers. And the drama pilot THE UNTITLED JEFF EASTIN PROJECT from Fox Television Studios and executive producer Jeff Eastin (WHITE COLLAR) starring Aaron Tveit and Vanessa Ferlito.

USA Network is the #1 network in all of basic cable and is seen in over 102 million U.S. homes. A division of NBC Universal, USA is the cable television leader in original series and home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, acquired television series and entertainment events. The award-winning USA website is located at www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.

USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.